A portrait of the Mughal Emperor Akbar the Great

North India, early 19th century

​

Opaque gouache and gold on paper,

H. 57.5 x W. 42 cm

​

The portrait is that of the 19th Mughal Emperor, Akbar, who is also known as Akbar Shah II, who reigned from 1806 to 1837. During his reign, the Mughal Empire collapsed to the increasing influence of the British East India Company. Akbar never was a mighty Emperor, since he had no effective power beyond the walls of his lavish residence in Delhi, the famous Red Fort.